We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maria Da Silva. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maria below.

Maria , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?

As a child, I had a social worker named Miss Rubino. I had been removed from my home by court order, and she was my caseworker. At age ten, while living with my aunt as my mother was institutionalized, I experienced something unforgettable.
A truck pulled up in front of my aunt’s house, and a man lifted a shiny bicycle from the back. When he said it was for me, I yelped with joy. It was my very first Christmas present—my very first bike. Miss Rubino had bought it with her own money.
That act of generosity was more than a gift—it was a lifeline. It showed me what kindness looks like in action, and I have carried that memory with me all my life. It is the model I’ve tried to emulate in my own way, across the decades.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Wise Shaman Within is a practice dedicated to guiding people toward inner clarity, healing, and empowerment. Through teachings rooted in shamanic wisdom, spiritual mentoring, and energy practices, it helps individuals reconnect with their intuition and cultivate a deeper relationship with their own inner healer – The Wise Shaman Within.

Wise Shaman Within is my offering to the world: a space where ancient wisdom meets everyday life. Here, I guide seekers to listen to their inner knowing, reclaim their energy, and walk their path with courage and compassion. It’s not about looking outside for answers, but learning to trust the Wise Shaman already within you.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Ten years ago, I heard the words that split my life in two: “You have breast cancer.” In that moment, I felt fear, disbelief, and a sense that everything I knew had changed.
But what I also discovered was strength. The night before my mastectomy, I gathered my closest friends for what I called a “Bye-Bye Bobbie” party. We laughed, we cried, floated balloons up to the sky, and we celebrated the body that had carried me that far. It wasn’t just a goodbye—it was a reminder that I was not facing this alone.
The journey was not easy. There were scars—seen and unseen. But along the way, I learned that resilience is built one day at a time, with every act of kindness, every moment of courage, and every breath of gratitude.
Today, I live vibrantly, joyfully, gratefully—as a survivor. Cancer changed me, but it did not define me. Instead, it taught me to say yes to life, to cherish the people who walk beside me, and to embrace joy as both a choice and a practice.
That’s why, on my left breast, over the scar where my cancer once was, I chose to have a single word tattooed: Yes! A daily reminder that survival is not just about living—it’s about saying yes to love, yes to possibility, and yes to life itself.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

For most of my life, I believed that being a caring person meant caring for everyone else—even if it meant neglecting myself. I grew up as a caretaker to my sick mother, became a second mother to my younger brother, raised two sons, and devoted thirty years to teaching. My entire identity was wrapped in giving to others.
But what I didn’t know then was that constant giving without replenishing leaves you empty. No one had ever taught me the value of self-love, and when I tried to care for myself, it felt selfish. Guilt was my constant companion.
It wasn’t until midlife that I began to understand the truth: self-care is not indulgence—it is survival. It is the foundation of balance, wholeness, and even greater generosity. When I finally learned to give to myself, I discovered a deeper well of strength and compassion.
Now, I am a better, more balanced human being—not because I stopped caring for others, but because I finally learned to care for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wiseshamanwithin.com
• Instagram: wiseshamanwithin
• Facebook: Wise Shaman Within
• Linkedin: Maria Guadalupe da Silva

Image Credits

Photo Credit: Diana Dunbar Place, 333 Collective